Neffinger talked about his vetoes Tuesday, calling the reduction of $30,000 to the Senior Center cleaning services account an “attack” on that facility and criticizing an additional $1.5 million cut from the health insurance account.

“If they wanted to make a point that wasn’t the place to make it,” Neffinger said of the cleaning services cut, which would bring that account down to $3,500.

The mayor called a cut of $1.5 million from the health insurance account on a motion by Town Councilor Brian J. Griffin “not responsible.”

“We have gotten a lot of negative feedback about that cut,” the mayor said.

The account that covers the city’s self-insurance health program is now at $8,331,060, according to the mayor, and would decline to $5,950,099 under his budget, which calls for using $2.5 million of the account toward fiscal 2013 costs. If the city ends up seeing it cut to $3,836,906, Neffinger said a catastrophic health expense could jeopardize the system.

The mayor questioned why if Griffin wants to give residents a property tax break through cutting that account he did not propose that last year or the year before.

Griffin responded that last year and the previous year he had not been told by city officials that only about $3 million is needed in that account.

The mayor also took issue with the council cutting $60,230 from the Planning and Development Department, which he said could leave the city without the services of the recently hired Planning and Development Director Douglas P. Mattoon. That position is a new one created by Neffinger to do such things as facilitate permitting for local projects.

Neffinger said Mattoon has already started a number of initiatives, including looking into how the city can add Senior Center activities to a camping program for special needs children at Mittineague Park.

The council nixed $105,000 the mayor had earmarked to buy three new vehicles, one each for himself, the fire chief and the police chief. The Mayor’s Office currently does not have its own car.

Councilors also slashed the Mayor’s Office’s personnel account by the $34,130 Neffinger had earmarked for an office assistant. That leaves the Mayor’s Office a two-person operation, Neffinger and his executive assistant.

Neffinger said eliminating the $94,350 he budgeted for the newly create position of deputy police chief would eliminate savings to be gleaned by reducing out-of-grade pay for people filling in to the chief.

The other cuts Neffinger has vetoed are: $20,000 from Law Department general expenses, $39,814 from maintenance of the municipal office building, $9,000 from a newly created economic developer position, $7,823 from the deputy director of the Council on Aging and $50,000 from the reserve account.

To overcome a mayoral veto the nine-member Town Council must muster six votes.